“How far does this tunnel extend?”
“The place is a maze,” Lee said. “We’ve never followed out any of the drifts, let alone the main workings.”
Tom made a quick, desperate decision. “Come on! Straight back!” he ordered.
The others obeyed, plunging deeper into the interior of the mine. Some were in favor of fanning out through the labyrinth of drifts in the hope that a few, at least, might avoid capture. But Tom overruled them.
“I believe this is a natural cavern,” he explained. “There may be another outlet somewhere.”
Using flashlights, they raced on through the winding central chamber. Behind them, they could hear shouts and echoing bursts of tommy guns.
Gradually the cavern passage narrowed, forcing the men into close file. Tom feared it might end in a cul-de-sac. If so, he and his men were trapped!
“Hey! Isn’t that fresh air?” Lee exclaimed suddenly.
Tom’s heart bounded as the draft struck his face. “We’re near an outlet!”
The air became fresher as the passageway slanted upward. Moments later, the men gave
THE COBRA STRIKES! 169
sighs of relief. Straight ahead, the passage ended in the open air! Crouching and jostling one another, they squirmed through the aperture.
“Hold it, everybody!” Bud shouted. “We’re on a ledge!”
There were gasps of apprehension as the men realized they were on the brink of a sheer dropoff. To their left, however, their flashlights showed that the ledge gradually widened and debouched onto a broad, sloping hillside.
They hurried toward safer ground. But as they reached the hillside, there were moving lights far below. Another enemy search party!